The Cincinatti based indie trio will be releasing Sod in the Seed EP on August 14th via Anticon (City Slang in the UK). Their new LP, ,i>Mumps, etc. will follow…

It’s not until recently that I realized WHY? have five albums (one in the making)! I remember really liking 2008’s Alopecia, yet for some reason, I never checked out anything else by Yoni Wolf and the band. So I guess you could call me a casual when it comes to WHY?. I really shouldn’t be, from what I witnessed at their show at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis. For those of you who are not familiar with WHY?, they are an alternative hip-hop band from Cincinnati, Ohio (originally Berkley, California). Their catalogue spans, four EP’s, four full length albums with one on the way (Mumps, etc., due out October 9th.)

I got to the Cedar a bit late that night, since I was not sure about the openers. Seems that the show started late anyway, I caught the last of Serengeti's set and he was actually pretty humorous. I really loved the song, I later learned was, “Dennehy.” A song about a guy who loves his Chicago sports, hot dogs , O'Doul's, and his wife Juelz. Then came a bizarre set from former WHY?’s personal friend, Doseone. It was so ridiculous, I found myself with a goofy smile when it was over. It can only be described as Anti-hip-hop.

This is all why I think that I didn’t go to a concert, I went to the experience. It was as if someone had painfully crafted an event, step by step. From getting there late, to only catching the last of Serengeti’s set, to experiencing Doseone’s bizzaro-anti-hip-hop. It was definitely a bizarre trip crafted from the insane mind of a man like, Yoni Wolf, the band's protagonist.

Funny enough, he wasn’t even on stage when they started out with an intro to “Dirty Glass” that sounded like a heavenly choir of angels backed by the Dirty Projectors. The WHY? band crafted a hauntingly beautiful tune, then came in Yoni. He was in the zone. His stage presence godlike as, the crowd of college and post-college adults, and some high schoolers, sang along with him religiously. Along with showmanship, Yoni has flow, and a pleasant voice and hilarious lyrics. And from then on, with that, he kept the momentum up the whole show. Even through the unfamiliar material of their new jam, Mumps, etc. I liked that they seemed to re-interpret songs, and how they mixed their old and new in so well. Especially the cuts from their album Alopecia.

They ended their set with “Paper Hearts” and dutifully delivered a show-stopping encore. And that is 'why', the fans stay and only multiply.

Tuesday, 31 July 2012

ALSO: If you're at Lollapalooza 2012 this year, Tortoise & Blonde eyewear (based out of NYC) will be showcasing at Urban Outfitters on State and Washington during the music festival. The company has a pseudo-record label through manufacturing sunglasses endorsing and supporting artists like The Spinto Band, Ra Ra Riot, and Jukebox the Ghost.

Snoop Dogg needs no introduction, but what about Snoop Lion? This is Snoop Doggy Dogg's latest project called "REINCARNATED." From my understanding, the inspiration for Snoop Lion/"REINCARNATED" was because Snoop recently visited Jamaica and loved the food, music, art, environment, etc. The visit literally changed his life.

Snoop had this to say about the album and the name change, "For this project, I had no intention of making a reggae album, but the spirit called me. Anytime the spirit calls you gotta know that it's serious and real …. I wanted to bury Snoop Dogg and become Snoop Lion, but I didn't know that until I went to the temple and received the name Snoop Lion from the Nyabingi priest. From that moment on, I started to understand why I was there and was able to create something magical in this [Reincarnated] project...something I haven't done before in my career."

Look for the VICE Film's "REINCARNATED" to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival September 7th.

Phish fans are a devoted lot. For the hardcore fans that must own everything, there is a book written by a fan for fans called
Mr. Miner's Phish Thoughts, which is available now.

The book recount Phish's long history and their eventual reunion in 2009.
Author David Calarco confessed that all the Phish books out there are "so outdated, they’re no longer relevant" and that his book is
"the only book ever written by a fan for the fans."

The Jesus and Mary Chain: Barbed Wire Kisses by Zoë Howe (St Martin's Press)
The Scottish shoegazing / alternative band The Jesus and Mary Chain has a new book written by Zoë Howe called The Jesus and Mary Chain: Barbed Wire Kisses (named after their 1999 album) out today on St Martin's Press.

The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer (Grand Central Publishing)
With this upcoming sold out show at the Cedar Cultural Center on Sunday, November 16th, I see that it is essentially a book signing tour for her new book The Art of Asking.... however, knowing Palmer, I am pretty there will be some singing/dancing involved, as well as an appearance from Neil Gaiman and other special guests.

Brian Jones: The Making of the Rolling Stones by Paul Trynka (Viking)
The vast majority of the book is focused on Brian Jones and the early days of the Rolling Stones, like the book title suggest, but like many of you, I was more interested in his death - which happened less than a month after he was walked away from the band.

A Man Called Destruction: The Life and Music of Alex Chilton, From Box Tops to Big Star to Backdoor Man by Holly George-Warren (Viking)
Fans searching for an account of the life of enigmatic and underappreciated singer/songwriter Alex Chilton need look no further; March 24th marks the release of “A Man Called Destruction” by Holly George-Warren, a thorough and highly enjoyable document of Chilton’s life and career.

Eminent Hipsters by Donald Fagen (Viking)
Eminent Hipsters is the new memoir by Donald Fagen, best known as the singer/songwriter of 70's jazz/rock band, Steely Dan.
I can't hear "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" without instantly being transported back to childhood memories of riding in the way, way back of my parent's station wagon, with the ol' Steely Dan cassette playing in the woodgrain dashboard.

Autobiography by Morrissey (Penguin Classics)
As a Morrissey fan, I should tell you that this is the first time Morrissey will tell his story in his own words. Previously official biography Landscapes of the Mind by David Bret was, how shall I say it, boring.

Stone Roses: War and Peace by Simon Spence (St. Martin's Griffin)
When I started reading War and Peace, I quickly realized how very little I knew about the Stone Roses. Most of my recollections of the band were through the NME, Melody Maker, and Select Magazines, which does not really paint a picture of how it was back then.

2015:
Since Select Magazine went away in 2000, Uncut Magazine took over as my favorite music magazine. In their latest issue, which came out in the stores in the UK this week (January 27th), they featured the 30th Anniversary of Meat is Murder with a The Smiths cover.